Why What’s Up Was Founded

During 1999, The Kids Help Foundation Trust completed an extensive feasibility study as to how the needs of young New Zealanders were being met. This involved consultation with a wide range of child welfare provision agencies from both the governmental and non-government sector, including among others:

• Youthline
• Kidsline
• Barbara Burt – ex-NZ Family Foster Care Association, Care and Protection Resource Panel member, contract advisor to CYFS, NZ Association of Social Workers and Manukau City Council Health Services
• Jeanette Frankham – Social Worker, Lifeline worker, founder of Aotearoa Telelink Trust
• Barnados
• Early Childhood Development Unit
• Ministry of Health
• NZ Schools Trustees Association
• Te Puni Kokiri
• CYFS
• Ministry of Social Policy

The reception was almost unanimously extremely supportive and validating of the need for a service of the kind proposed.

Recent government research has found that of young New Zealanders between the age of 5 and 19 years old, 5% are already engaged with social workers. A further 20% that are identified as being at risk and standing at the top of a cliff. Unfortunately in New Zealand most services arrive at the bottom of the cliff.

We have one of the highest rates of youth suicide in the world, and disproportionately high rates of child abuse. Our findings indicated that in the past, only 1% to 2% of New Zealand youth have engaged in seeking help each year through telephone counselling.

Experience in Australia indicated that if a service was launched and well marketed, that number should be 12%. There was great potential in New Zealand for improving early intervention rather than picking up the pieces later.
Steps were taken in early 2001 to implement a plan to build a free, national, professional telephone counselling service for people aged 5 to 18 years.